


Toxic Ore

by BottledUpWishes



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, why are all my saiyuki fics pre-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 12:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8800906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BottledUpWishes/pseuds/BottledUpWishes
Summary: Do you ever think about that tidbit in Reload where it's mentioned Yaone killed her parents.  I do.  It's a Yaone-backstory fic, y'all.





	

She went back and forth from memory to book, reviewing the various components and precautions penned down

 

“‘Cinnabar requires special attention due its mercurial, components…’ this author _had_ to be human.”  It wasn’t that mercurialism didn’t work on demons, but Yaone certainly had less to worry about than a normal human.  She worked with cinnabar plenty of times before, and never had any trouble with it.  Her parents still handled major orders, whist she stuck with incorporating it with lacquer ware, a routine way to practise.  It turned into a comfort zone, far from the capability of extracting mercury from the red-coloured ore.

 

As time-consuming as heating ore was, Yaone found it relaxing.  It gave her time to herself, and her family’s lab, while modest, had a comforting, warm atmosphere.  The outside, built like any old shed with thick purple cloth acting as its ‘entry’, when instead it led to large tarp in front of a hidden door, where the lab remained hidden.  The seclusion came with temporary retreat from the village’s hustle and bustle, not to mention keep warm in winter.  

 

The fire crackling beneath the iron pot illuminated the floor in reds and oranges, heat rising up the back of her neck, even with her hair pulled back.  Long gloves protected her hands and forearms, but the few sparks that landed on them nonetheless stung.  She paid no mind, almost done with her task.  The cinnabar carved nicely into lacquerware.

 

Caught up in admiring her handiwork, she only caught sight of embers landing on and igniting the journal out of the corner of her eye.  She jerked up, dropping the cinnabar and work atop the _unattended_ hot plate before smothering it with a fire blanket kept in the lab at all times.  As soon as she was sure the main fire went out, she yanked the book, ignoring the burns it gave her, and wrapped it in the rest of the blanket.

 

Soon, she pulled the notebook out, sizing up the damage.  Nothing major, but charring on one of the bottom corners, the worst it could have done was burn away parts of footnotes and the like.  The worst damage ended up being to her own hand, now stinging like crazy from the exposed burn meeting open air.  She cradled it in her other hand, making her way out of the lab.

 

Pushing the curtain back, she sighed with a shake of her head.  “Leave it to me to burn _myself_ doing something I’ve done one thousand times before.  Yosei won’t let me live it down once she hears.”

 

Yaone could see her friend’s face now, laughing up a storm.  No avoiding her, on account her family handled medical assistance for the community.  Yaone’s family contributed as well, but ultimately the responsibility rested with Yosei's.  

 

Maybe I should get her something for the help…  An orange?

 

It being early morning, the residential section might as well be deserted, but anyone working with goods would already be up and hard at work.  She nodded, taking a detour to the a small goods section of the village.  Nothing like large marketplaces in better villages and towns, but organised, and close-knit.  Grocers provided fruits and vegetables, and meats and grains, even dairies, all with other families.  

 

She hummed to herself, temporarily forgetting about her burnt hand and looking forward for the low buzz of grocers.  Even with her eyes closed, she could tell exactly when she walked into the grocer section.

 

This morning, however, she had to pause.  Silence froze the area solid.  No one at their usual posts.  She looked from stall to stall, but not a single person was in sight.  

 

Maybe everyone’s on a slow start?  It didn’t seem likely.  This area, and the residential area.  Both appeared deserted.  Why?

 

Biting her lip, Yaone briskly walked to Yosei's.  She was always out and about.

 

Eventually, Yaone overheard rapid footsteps rush toward her.

“Yaone!”

In the blink of an eye, a young woman with cropped rouge hair scrambled to Yaone’s side. She stumbled to a sob, hugging and clinging to Yaone by her shoulders. “Yaone, it’s awful!”

Yaone steadied her. “Yosei?”

Yosei, arms wrapped around Yaone’s right, guided her to the house. The second they reached it, she looked away, her eyes shut tight and entire body shaking. The sight ahead of her too much to take in.

Elaborate burns marred the door, almost feathery on their edges. Small, but plentiful.

Yaone resisted the urge to urge to widen her eyes. She reached out, tracing the burns with her fingertips.  Without meaning to, they brushed against the doorway, oddly smooth and intact.  She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head.  "This is...?"

Sniffling, Yosei finally let Yaone go, now hugging herself. “When I think about how they did this and left without anyone noticing… God… Why me?”. Her small frame shook so terribly her whole body looked ready to fall apart.

The marks on the door, Yaone knew, belonged to the Dark Crow Clan. It served as not only a warning, but a bulls-eye. Several tales of people targeted by the Clan spread the past few months, all ending in the abduction of a woman from the house marked. And they _never_ failed to find a place women lived in.

“I thought…”. Yosei shook, wiping tears from her puffy eyes. “I thought they were just rumours, but no one here would be awful enough to pull a prank like this. But if it’s not then-”. Her sobbing worsened, her hands covered her face. “ _God_ , Yaone, what am I supposed to do?!”

 

Yaone didn’t know what came over herself, but she cast aside al her fears and worries, firmly placing her hands on Yosei’s shoulders, who looked up at her in confusion.  

 

Yaone squeezed her shoulders, giving a stern expression.  

  
“I’ll fix this.”

 

       ***

Yaone gave Yosei some alone time nearly ten minutes after promising to fix things. She had no idea what got into her. A dear friend of hers woke up to the worst news of her life. She ran to Yaone for support. She just couldn’t  _ not  _ do anything.

She had to cool her head. Think rationally. She hadn’t even ate breakfast. She spent all last night in the lab, and now she smelled savoury scents, similar to soup.

She allowed a small smile, opening the door to greet her parents. Both were far from young, slowed down by their wrinkles, but their wits still with them.

Yet, part of the door seemed strange. Like it swung smoother than usual.

“Did someone fix the door?”

Her mother daintily set down steaming bowls on the table. “Your father got tired of the old thing constantly creaking.”

Yaone shut the door. Her attempt at maintaining some form of normalcy, and her shoulders slumped under the weight of Yosei’s situation.

“Yaone?”

Not wanting to alarm her mother, Yaone bit her lip. “Last night… Did something happen?”

Her mother flashed a wry smile. “Only you not coming back inside to rest properly.”

“Nothing out of the ordinary?”

“Not a thing, Yaone.” She pulled an empty chair out, inviting her to sit and eat. “Did something happen?”

Yaone bit her lip abd sat down. “There were some marks on Yosei’s door this morning.”

“Marks?”

“Burns from fire, in the shape of feathers ”

Her mother froze, eyes widened and her wrinkles deepened. Drops of soup shook out of the bowl held on her trembling hands. Taking a deep breath, she turned away from Yaone, hugging herself just like Yosei did.

Something definitely didn’t feel right. She failed to distract herself stroking the horse’s head, unable to get Yosei out of her mind.

Her eyes wandered around the stable aimlessly, till finally she got up the energy to open the feed bag. Heavy as it was, she persisted to set up for fur future ease, but something metallic caught her eye.

 

Putting the bag aside, she knelt down, picking up the item.

 

What’s a door hinge doing here? Her father must’ve been tired after fixing the door, but there were better places to discard trash.

 

Actually, no. Her father _never_ wasted materials. This would have been put in the lab.

And why was it  _ scorched _ ?

She recalled the oddly intact hinge on Yosei’s door, unmarred by any sort of fire. It seemed too perfectly coincidental.

Footsteps rustled the hay. Shooting up, Yaone hid the hinge in her pocket, and turned to face her father

“You still fixing things up?”

“Um…”. Yaone shook her head. “No. I just got a little sidetracked.

She saw her father’s eyes trail to the oats bag, but said nothing of it. "Why don’t you take a breather? This news over Yosei has yoh real shook up, you should check up on her instead of cooping yourself up here.”

Yaone obliged, but stopped short. “When did you fix the door?”

Hands behind his back, her father nodded to the horde, back facing Yaone. “Late last night.”

And he never mentioned members of Dark Crow trespassing with  _ fire? _ Yaone didn’t notice since she'd been so absorbed in the lab last night, but just how  _ late  _ did her father fox the door?

Backing away, Yaone shook her head. “I’ll be checking om Yosei.”

“Yaone.” The change in his tone stopped her. “As much as it pains me to say, there’s not much to be done. Even those demons are doing Hyakugan Maoh’s dirty work.” He sat on a barrel. “For a place as small as this one, I’m afraid fighting back isn’t an option. Give her all the condolences you can give, but ultimately-”

Yaone cut him off. “How can you say that?”

Faltering, her father cleared his throat. “Yaone, you and I both know we can’t defy demons like Hyaku-”

“You don’t know for sure! Yosei’s life is in danger, can't you at least try to care?”

_ “Yaone.” _ Raising his voice, he shut down her response. “It pains my heart to see Yosei in this mess, but you’re being too insistent, not to mention entirely off-b

  
  


“Yaone, it’s not that simple.”  Frowning, her father sighed.  The way he sighed.  How he held himself.  The look in his eyes.  It didn’t… match what Yaone thought he should feel.  It wasn’t worry for Yosei, whom he knew very well from her friendship with Yaone.  

 

Fussing with her hands, Yaone fought her anger down, making sure not to derail.  “Why didn’t you notice anything?”

 

“It must have happened before I woke up.”

 

“Why would you wake up that late?  Just to fix door?”

 

Her hand brushed where she hid the hinge.  Her blood ran as cold as the metal.  Was she jumping to conclusions?  She recalled the state of Yosei’s door.  The wood charred and black, but its frame in good enough shape, as if fire never touched it.

 

“Dad, was anyone in Yosei’s family awake when you were?”

 

He furrowed his brow.  “Not that I’m aware of, why?”

 

It seemed far too well-knitted.  Yaone pursed her lips, looking away from her father.  “I’m going to check on Yosei.”

 

“You do that.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> gayer than intended but I mean... what do you expect from me... hetshipping? i dont fuckin think so.  
> also if you think yaone seems ooc it's because i actually gave her a personality not centred around kougaiji not that im bitter or anything lol


End file.
